I just recently bought a kinda cheap Washburn electric guitar and I'm new at guitar, but I've learned to play a few songs and I've noticed that I can't really do hamemr ons and pull offs that well. As soon as I slide to another fret without strumming, the sound goes blank. I'm not pulling off the string completely either, but would this be becasue of the amp i'm using, my guitar, my equipment (just the guitar and a peavey amp), or my guitar playing skills?
I just recently bought a kinda cheap Washburn electric guitar and I'm new at guitar, but I've learned to play a few songs and I've noticed that I can't really do hamemr ons and pull offs that well. As soon as I slide to another fret without strumming, the sound goes blank.
Are you sliding or hammering on? Sliding is when you fret a note and then slide the finger on the fretboard to another note without lifting the finger. Hammer on is fretting a note with one finger then hammering down with another finger on another fret on the same string without picking the string with the other hand.
I'm not pulling off the string completely either, but would this be becasue of the amp i'm using, my guitar, my equipment (just the guitar and a peavey amp),
Unlikely especially for the amp. Could be the guitar but then you'd see other problems too.
or my guitar playing skills?
This is probably it. It takes a while to build up the finger strength and skill to do these right especially pull offs. Just take 5 to 10 minutes every practice to work on hammer ons and pull offs. Take it slow, don't worry about speed and just do it over and over. At first you won't get it, then it will be muffled or you'll hit other strings as you pull off, and then finally you'll get it.
There are a lot of web sites out there many with video that shows how to do this. One that many people seem to like is Justin Guitar. He's got this "finger gym" lesson that helps you get the hammer ons and pull offs and then uses them to build finger strength - http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-001-FingerGym.php
Pop music is about stealing pocket money from children. - Ian Anderson
When I was learning hammer-ons I practiced on Wolfmother's Joker and the Thief. The entire intro is a series of hammered on triplets, repeated a bunch of times.
The tricky bit (at least for me) is to get the hammer-ons to sound as loud as the picked open note.
after I had that worked out (it took a few weeks) then I worked on keeping the triplet rhythm going steady.
I wrapped a newspaper ’round my head
So I looked like I was deep
I'm a big fan of Justin Sandercoe, he makes great youtube videos. I've just started working on this hammer on / pull off exercise, hoping it'll strengthen my ring finger and pinky.
Finger Gym: http://www.justinguitar.com/en/TE-001-FingerGym.php
kent_eh, love that tune! Maybe I'll be able to put this exercise into "practice" sooner than I thought ;)
It's a dry heat!
For starters, while you can improve conciously your technique, a great deal of it when your starting out is finger strength and dexterity. Just keep practicing and over time your fingers with do what you want.
As for pull offs, make sure your getting some downward motion when your finger comes off the board. If you just pull your finger straight off vertically the string won't vibrate sufficiently. You gotta pull down somewhat, so your finger kinda plucks the string as it comes off.
All great advice, and I really liked that video at JustinGuitar.
Hammering-on and pulling-off well is one of those things you have to practice forever. You don't just learn it and that's it, you have to continue to practice it to do well.
One thing rarely mentioned is timing. Lots of folks can hammer-on and pull-off, but the timing is not very precise. This is something I noticed a long time ago with my own playing. So I have a little method I use to practice hammer-ons and pull-offs, but also keep precise timing.
What I will do is flatpick the phrase first at a certain speed on the metronome. This will get your fretting fingers moving at the proper speed. Then I will stop picking but keep the phrase going with hammer-ons and pull-offs.
e-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8---------------------------------
b---------------------------------5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-5-8-
g-----------------------------------------------------------------
d-----------------------------------------------------------------
a-----------------------------------------------------------------
e-----------------------------------------------------------------
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
d u d u d u d u d h p h p h p h d u d u d u d u d h p h p h p h
d= downstoke
u= upstroke
h= hammer-on
p= pull-off
I will do this at many various speeds with a metronome. I try to make my hammer-ons and pull-offs consistent and as even as my alternate picking. At moderate speeds this is very easy and natural. But at very slow speeds you tend to hammer-on/pull-off too quickly, at very fast speeds your hammer-on/pull-off can lag behind.
And as Justin pointed out in that video, you want to practice with every finger combination and order possible.
As I said before, at least for me, hammer-ons and pull-offs is something that should be practiced often as long as you play.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Finger strength and technique play a role, but so do callouses. Once you really work up those finger callouses, you can really wham those hammerons and pull-offs.
As said before, when you pull off, make sure you're getting some downward (sideways kinda) movement so you're kind of plucking the string. Pulling straight off will sound dead.
Also, make sure you're using the very tips of your fingers. If you're using the "fatter" part of your finger, it'll be tougher to get a good sound.
Edit: I found that playing right hand tapping riffs really got my hammer ons and pull offs working good. Find a good hammer on part (The first part of the fast hammet solo in Metallica's "One") and practice it.
